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“They are doing it with aggressive intent,” said Courtney, ranking member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.

Courtney also said in a statement that the Russian move was unacceptable and an attempt to test the resolve of the new administration, noting a Friday incident in the Black Sea where Russian jet aircraft flew within 200 yards of a U.S. naval ship.

The Hartford Courant reported that two retired U.S. Naval submarine commanders said the Russian spy ship presents little threat to U.S. security.

The vessel is outfitted with a variety of high-tech spying equipment and is designed to intercept signals intelligence, CNN reported.

Similar patrols were carried out by the ship in 2014 off the Florida coast and in 2015, a U.S. defense official told CNN.

Courtney also said in the statement that “the White House needs to move past their seeming infatuation with Putin and treat him like the serious threat to global peace and security that he has been for the last five years."